An 8-year-old girl identified as GW was starved, imprisoned, and abused by her uncle, Jeffrey “Adam” Kraft, and his wife, Michele L. Buckner-Kraft, for approximately four years.
Before GW and her half-sister KN (age 5) came to live with the Krafts in 2008, GW attended kindergarten and was a normal weight for her age, though her birth parents were abusive and she had behavioral problems. After four years with the Krafts, she weighed only 42 lbs. She had not seen a doctor since she came to live with them and was only allowed to take a shower once a month. When police found GW, she was locked inside a trash-filled room that reeked of urine. According to KN, GW spent most of her time locked in her room and KN was not allowed to talk to her. GW was forced to eat in her room while the rest of the family (which also included the Krafts’ 5-month-old daughter EK) ate at the kitchen table. The abuse came to light when someone called the child abuse hotline. The Krafts were charged with first-degree assault and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
When she was found, GW had not attended school since kindergarten, but she told the police that she “was told to read every day.” The Krafts’ longtime friend reported that “he thought Adam intended to homeschool her” when he pulled her from school.
Date: July 5, 2012
Location: Kansas City, Missouri Read More
Posted: May 12, 2014 by clmccracken
Son of David and Pamela Martin
A 17-year-old boy was imprisoned in a basement and starved by his father, David L. Martin, and his stepmother, Pamela S. Martin. The boy had lived in the basement since September 2012, when his father pulled him out of school to reportedly homeschool him.
The Martins claimed to have imprisoned the boy for safety reasons when Pamela’s son and grandson moved into the home. According to his parents, the boy had bipolar disorder and ADHD and they were unable to afford his medication. When he was found handcuffed to a pole in a cold basement, the boy weighed only 103 lbs. The abuse was discovered when a neighbor called the child abuse hotline.
The Martins were charged with felonious restraint and child abuse.
Date: February 4, 2013
Location: Kansas City, Missouri Read More
Posted: May 12, 2014 by clmccracken
GW by Jeffrey "Adam" Kraft and Michele L. Buckner-Kraft
An 8-year-old girl identified as GW was starved, imprisoned, and abused by her uncle, Jeffrey “Adam” Kraft, and his wife, Michele L. Buckner-Kraft, for approximately four years.
Before GW and her half-sister KN (age 5) came to live with the Krafts in 2008, GW attended kindergarten and was a normal weight for her age, though her birth parents were abusive and she had behavioral problems. After four years with the Krafts, she weighed only 42 lbs. She had not seen a doctor since she came to live with them and was only allowed to take a shower once a month. When police found GW, she was locked inside a trash-filled room that reeked of urine. According to KN, GW spent most of her time locked in her room and KN was not allowed to talk to her. GW was forced to eat in her room while the rest of the family (which also included the Krafts’ 5-month-old daughter EK) ate at the kitchen table. The abuse came to light when someone called the child abuse hotline. The Krafts were charged with first-degree assault and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
When she was found, GW had not attended school since kindergarten, but she told the police that she “was told to read every day.” The Krafts’ longtime friend reported that “he thought Adam intended to homeschool her” when he pulled her from school.
Date: July 5, 2012
Location: Kansas City, Missouri Read More
Posted: May 12, 2014 by clmccracken
4 children of Juan Carlos Sanchez and Bobbi Sue Pack
Three children, girls aged 11 and 9 and an 8-year-old boy, were beaten, imprisoned, and starved by their stepfather, Juan Carlos Sanchez. Their mother Bobbi Sue Pack and grandmother Edwina Luis knew about the abuse but did nothing to stop it. A fourth child, Sanchez’ two-year-old daughter, was not harmed.
The three older children were homeschooled students at Ohio Virtual Academy. They were beaten with belts and paddles and tied naked to their beds with ropes and chains, sometimes for weeks at a time, only being released to do schoolwork. There were locks on the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets to prevent the children from gaining access to food. The two older girls were also raped several times by their stepfather. The abuse came to light when the oldest girl emailed her online teacher and asked her to call 911.
Sanchez was charged with child endangerment and rape. Pack and Luis were charged with child endangerment.
Date: January 30, 2014
Location: Wheelersburg, Ohio Read More
Posted: April 17, 2014 by rachel
Lindsay Tornambe and Others by Victor A. Barnard
Lindsay Tornambe’s family moved from Pennsylvania to Minnesota when she was 11 to be closer to the ministry of pastor Victor A. Barnard. Tornambe had already been homeschooled for some time, and she first met Barnard when she was 9. In 2000, when Tornambe was 13, Barnard announced before the congregation that she had been chosen to be “sacrificed to God.” Tornambe’s parents dropped her off at a nearby isolated camp to live with Barnard and his other “maidens.” Barnard regularly sexually assaulted the girls, ages 12 to 24, justifying this by saying that Jesus had had sex with his female followers and Solomon with his concubines. The girls made their own clothing, lived communally, and rarely saw their parents. Those of school age were presumably “homeschooled” by Barnard. Tornambe tried to run away at age 15, but ended up returning because of her fear of “damnation.”
Years later Tornambe left the camp and the religious sect, and at some point the sect moved to Washington state. In early 2014, Tornambe and two other women who had been among Barnard’s “maidens” spoke to authorities about what had happened. Barnard fled arrest and is currently on the run.
Date: July 23, 2000
Location: Finlayson, Minnesota Read More
Posted: March 29, 2014 by clmccracken
8 children of Jamie Marie Hicks and Vernon Courtney Lovell
Twin 16-year-old boys were starved, beaten, and tortured by their mother, Jamie Marie Hicks. The abuse was discovered when two of Hicks’ children ran away from home and reported abuse to officials. The children’s stepfather of thirteen years, Vernon Courtney Lovell, knew about the abuse but did nothing to stop it. All the children were homeschooled, and Hicks often talked with her neighbors about her homeschooling practices.
Hicks was charged with aggravated child abuse and Lovell was charged with child neglect.
Date: March 27, 2014
Location: Tampa, Florida Read More
Posted: March 26, 2014 by clmccracken
Korresha Crawford, and 4 siblings
Korresha Crawford, age 11, was beaten to death by her 17-year-old sister Cylena, who also assaulted their 13-year-old brother Michael. Two other siblings, ages 11 and 9, were unharmed. The children’s father, Lawrence Crawford, was home at the time. Crawford, a Pentecostal minister, homeschooled the children while his wife Sylvia worked two jobs. However, Cylena was frequently left as the primary caregiver for her siblings.
In 2004, Crawford was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Korresha. Cylena, who was admitted to a mental health facility after the assault, was charged with murder and aggravated assault and battery. Sylvia Crawford was charged with neglect.
Date: January 25, 2001
Location: Elgin, South Carolina Read More
Posted: March 26, 2014 by rachel
Child of Melvin Wright Jr. and Denise Wright
Medical personnel responding to an emergency call in early January, 2007, found an emaciated 11-year-old girl. Some reports indicate that the girl weighed under 30 pounds. The girl was taken to the hospital and then sent to live with her grandparents in South Carolina. Medical authorities reported that she will suffer permanent developmental disabilities as the result of severe long-term malnutrition. The girl’s parents, Melvin and Denise Wright, were arrested and charged with starving the girl. They were found guilty of attempted second-degree murder.
This was not the first time Melvin and Denise had come to trial. In 2000, both were convicted of endangering the welfare of a minor in a case involving their daughter. Their daughter was returned to them and they were required to take parenting classes.
The couple homeschooled their daughter out of racial prejudice, but did not follow Hawaii’s homeschool requirements. When asked about this in court, they reported that they did not know that Hawaii had any requirements for homeschoolers. The couple was originally from South Carolina.
Date: January 7, 2007
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
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Posted: March 25, 2014 by clmccracken
Aidan Edward Bossingham, and 2 siblings
Aidan Edward Bossingham, age 13, was starved to death by his mother, Jessica Lee Jensen. He weighed 21 pounds when he died. Though Aidan was diagnosed with a human growth hormone deficiency, Jensen refused to give him medication and had not taken him to a doctor since 2008. She treated him differently from his siblings, ages 14 and 7. All three children were homeschooled. The youngest child could not spell her name to an interviewer and was not sure of her age.
Jensen was charged with murder.
Date: January 12, 2014
Location: Kenmare, North Dakota
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Posted: March 24, 2014 by clmccracken
Boy by Ixchel Maybury
Ixchel Maybury sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy that she was homeschooling. The Winslow school system had urged Maybury to complete her homeschooling certification, but she had not done so.
Maybury assaulted the boy five or six times between May 1998 and May 1999 and threatened to kill him if he testified against her. Maybury was homeschooling a number of children at the time the assaults occurred.
She was charged with gross sexual assault and two counts of witness tampering.
Date: August 1999
Location: Winslow, Maine
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Posted: March 24, 2014 by clmccracken
Joseph Chaney
Cynthia Guthrie abducted 14-year-old Joseph Chaney from his mobile home in Tennessee and went on the run with him, first to Colorado and then to New Mexico, where she was caught.
Guthrie was a friend of the boy’s mother, Susan Smith, who had asked Guthrie to homeschool her two sons. Guthrie’s sexual abuse of Joseph was first reported to child protective services in July 2002 and investigated. Smith was suspected of neglecting Joseph and his brother, who were removed from her home November 1 and placed in foster homes. Joseph ran away from his foster home on December 1 to go on the run with Guthrie, who was married.
Guthrie was charged with sexual battery by an authority figure and statutory rape.
Date: December 29, 2002
Location: Lebanon, Tennessee
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